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Advancing Blades
Many a Blade Wano Country, at this very moment, experienced a desolate winter. Blizzards raged throughout the archipelago, and most citizens were huddled away in their homes. Within that tumultuous climate, was a single man, walking in this harsh blizzard, without a care in the word for the conditions. His eyes were distant, focused on a goal far larger, and far greater than what this blizzard could ever hope to be. This was Kosaka Isshin, the "Izanami" of the Black Widow Pirates. However...today, he did not hold any of those titles. Today, he held the title of Fukuoka Soren's father. That poor child...who was taken from him, without even a chance at saying goodbye. Today, Isshin would once again remind the seas of the terrors of the Blade Thief, and wage war against the whole world, if he had to. Strutting the passages of Wano, was none of that than Yoshitsune of Ryutsume Dojo. Around his arms were two beautiful women, who'd nearly conned him out of all of his money, all so that he could just get a whiff of their panties. "Listen, when you two babes get to the dojo, I want you to do that slow kissing thing with each other. That'll turn me on." "Uh," One of the girls began, bringing her finger to her bottom lip, "I dunno' if we are headed to the dojo, Yoshitsune-kun. Why does it look like we're going towards the ports." The other girl lifted her arm, "That's right! In fact, didn't we just leave the dojo, Yoshitsune-sama." The women to his right added. Yoshitsune laughed, leaning his head back as he did. "That's 'cause we did! I had to get a strap from the Ryutsume Dojo, the dojo that we're going to his my personal knock out location." Pulling his hands from around their necks, Yoshitsune proceeded to dry hump the air. "We're going to my Boom-Boom Dojo, ahahahahaha!" Regrabbing the woman around their necks, the Samurai continued along his path to the port which held his ship. "So, Yoshitsune-kun. Is it true that you're the host for the Reg-" The woman to his left was stopped dead in her tracks. Her lips were covered by Yoshitsune's index finger as he'd been intentionally trying to quiet her. Eyes squinting, "No, Lile-chan. Please, now isn't the time for that. It'll be my daughter, Tomoe, who becomes the retainer. So no need to have any fear you two, it's not like Yoshitsune-sama gave a damn about it anyway! Ahahaha!" Looking into the distance towards the ports, Yoshitsune noticed a figure he knew well. "Isshin!" He shouted, waving at the man as though he were a child attempting to get their friend's attention. "The hell're you doing all the way by the ports? Leaving for an expedition?" Isshin heard his name, and also a familiar voice. "Yoshitsune..." Isshin said, in a sombre tone, as he looked towards his friend. Predictably, he was in the arms of two women, who were trying to con him, again. He couldn't help but be reminded of a specific someone in all of this. Isshin did nothing more than throw the page of the most recent newspaper towards Yoshitsune, expecting his friend to catch it. He awaited his response, but was preparing himself to move further forward towards the ports. "Yo, y-" Swiftly lifting his hands, he caught the newspaper and opened it. Reading through the paper, despite doing it as a rather quick pace, he took in each word that had been printed. Eyes widening, he jerked his head at the two women dismissing them from his presence in the nicest way possible. Almost shaking, Yoshitsune kept rereading the words in his head; "Rear Admiral Carter Pine has brought Barney Kettle into Impel Down while being accredited with the murders of: Apu, Draco D. Damon, and Daddy L. Soren of the Four Horsemen... Soren's death comes as a sigh of relief to the world at large: there is no longer an heir to the throne of the Black Widow Pirates!" The claimed haunted him. Lifting his head up at Isshin, Yoshitsune's tongue-tied as he tricked to pick out the best words to begin with. "I want you to.. It's like," Yoshitsune continued to stop himself he just couldn't find anything to say. "That makes sense," Yoshitsune thought, "I've only seen 'im dressed like this on a few occasions... War." Slamming the newspaper on the ground, Yoshitsune stepped on it then spat at it. "Listen Isshin, I ain't gonna' sit here and try to level with you and I ain't lost a child." Yoshitsune hesitated, "Tell me, what is it you plan to achieve, Isshin." "You can't tell already, Yoshitsune? Your senses are growing dull from all those women." Isshin spat aggressively back at his friend, not in the mood for patronizing speeches. "I'm going to go out there and look for my son. And if I don't find him...you'll bet that I'll kill every damn Marine I lay my eyes on." Isshin stopped for a moment, and looked over at his friend, his hands curling into fists. "Were you planning on stopping me, friend?" "No." Yoshitsune began, holding his hands up. "I was gonna'," he flicked his thumb towards the direction the two women traveled. "Invite you to hit up these sweeties with me. Legs'll be alright, right?" Dropping his hands, he slowly inched his rest atop the hilt of his two blades. "I didn't go out of my way to find you, hell I don't even know why of all ports ya ass ended up here." "But when you ask it like that," Yoshitsune reached into his haori and pulled out a pipe. Placing the end into his mouth, Yoshitsune inhaled on it. "I'd hate to see one of the Three Guardians rush to their death." Exhaling, Yoshitsune released a small cloud of smoke, but it was more like vapor. "As you know, I got a daughter too, Tomoe. But unlike Soren, she ain't active on the battlefield. But," Moving his hand off of his blades, Yoshitsune reached inside of his haori and shirt to pull out a small necklace that had been hanging around his neck. "I do have someone who I view as my own son as well." He pressed his thumb against the pendant and a door opened revealing the image of a dark-skinned mohawked teen the world knew very well: Dragon D. Dexter. "Yet, if he were to die today, I wouldn't go out slaughtering each Marine I laid eyes on." Yoshitsune both sighed and lied, all in the same sentence. If Dexter were to have been annouced dead by hands of the Marines, Yoshitsune--without a doubt--would storm into Marine Headquarters with his blade in hand and slaughter each and ever man that stood in his way until he had been satisfied. Standing back to his feet and tucking the necklace away, he continued on. "I won't stop you as the person who wants to stand in the way of your grief, but I will do it as your friend." "My friend, huh..." Isshin spoke softly, drawing his blade from his back. "I wonder, my friend...it'd be nice if you could stop me..." Isshin began to think to himself, as a large broadsword, in the shape of a cleaver, was shown in full view in front of Isshin. "You think you can stop me?" Isshin kept the sword's hilt at shoulder-level, with its blade directly facing Yoshitsune, parallel to his chest. However, no movement was made. Not yet. This was a test, by Isshin, as the entirety of his anger and bloodlust was poured into his stance in that very moment. To Yoshitsune, Isshin would be enveloped in a frightening, blood-red aura, that took the form of a vile demon seeking to eat Yoshitsune whole. Would Yoshitsune be able to stand against him? Would he be able to respond appropriately? That was the question Isshin sought to answer, as the man's penetrating stance sought to make Yoshitsune feel the possibility of his chest being gouged out. Could he respond appropriately? Or would he lose before even being able to make his first move. For a moment there was a silence from Yoshitsune. He said nothing nor did he let out a hearable breath. Isshin's red aura seemingly poured from his pores and covered his body entirely and Yoshitsune knew exactly what it was. It was nothing short of Isshin's killing intent. A normal being or hell, a normal samurai would have fallen prey to Isshin's will. They'd simply drop to their knees quivering with fear, or they'd find themselves struggling to breathe. But, Yoshitsune was different. Yoshitsune was far from normal and those that knew him as their enemy revered him as something beyond. He was a different type of animal, yet he was the same kind of beast. As the aura poured from Yoshitsune's body, he didn't waver but instead a grin grew. "It has been a while, has it not?" Yoshitsune asked, reaching to hip and unsheathing only one of his blades. His grin slowly transitioned to that of a full smile, but not one of genuine happiness but one of psychopathic excitement. His own red aura leaking from his body and surrounding him like a cloak, it spread around his immediate area like it had a will of its own. "I haven't been able to check you out since you left. Good to know ya' still usin' a blade." Eyes widening and muscles tightening, the ground shook underneath the pressure Yoshitsune released as though the earth itself had been trying to fight off the bloodlust of the two men that stood atop it. Unlike Yoshitsune, Isshin had a reason to fight: So that he could leave Wano and begin his expedition to avenge his fallen son. Yet, for Yoshitsune, the reasoning was much more simplistic. "I could say, 'Halt, I'm arresting you in attempts to leave Wano without permission. As the Commander of the Shinsengumi, I order you to stop!" This would have been a false statement because while he did not want Isshin to leave the island on a rampage and bring heat to Wano, that is not why he drew his blade in preparation for battle. Smiling still growing and intent still flooding the area, his eyes became that of a predator. "It really is best to keep your reasons for fightin' simple." He ended, clenching his blade's hilt with his right hand and throwing it over that same side's shoulder. Bystanders had caught the eye of what had been unfolding and because of who these two individuals were, they began to panic like headless chickens. "Run!" Some shouted, hands flailing as they tripped over their own sandles. While some shouted, "Call Legs!" or "Inform miss Kazuha! Commander Kurokaku and Lord Izanami have gone mad!!" "Let me see whatcha' got, Isshin!" Only an instant had passed. Both combatants locked eyes with one another. Their bloodlust roared, and those in the nearby vicinity of Isshin and Yoshitsune would perceive them as mad. But this was not madness, nor was this anything close to primal instinct. This was a warrior's soul, burning brightly in the face of a worthy challenge. "Muken Zento-ryu: Ichiro." Isshin spoke, almost as if he were chanting, as his entire body began to move. But the movement was, to an experienced veteran, slow and precise. Isshin's posture was already oriented towards the right side of his body. His left leg, which was the one behind his body, began to move forward, with such strength and deliberation behind the movement that the wind itself followed Isshin's path, winding throughout his body. The orientation of Isshin's body began to change, as with the forward step of his left leg, came the rotation of his blade. This was the true power of the technique that Isshin sought to invoke. The spiraling wind that crawled up his body had now been subjected to the sudden, but precise, flip of Hawatari's, Isshin's blade's, rotation. The side of Hawatari with an elongated, spiked end was now facing upwards, and with that change in orientation, the wind wrapped around the blade, reaching its tip and waiting to be released. Isshin, without shifting from his stance, pushed the sword forward. But it was not merely his arms that stretched forward with Isshin. Being a swordsman of such a high level, Isshin's entire body accompanied every single slash, and every single thrust he made. It might not have been visible to an ordinary swordsman, but those with experience could see it. The rotation of the hips, the release of energy from the man's slightly bent knees, and most importantly, the guidance of the wind itself, all followed Isshin's path, transforming a mere thrust fueled with air pressure into something far more grand and destructive. The air that danced on the tip of Hawatari shot forward, and spiraled with such great ferocity and speed, that the air and snow began to coalesce together, with the rotating cyclonic thrust at its epicenter. Ichiro had transformed from a straight thrust that sought to use the air as a medium, to an overwhelming dragon's breath, that absorbed nature itself and would seemingly render everything before its path as nothing more than dust, should his opponent not perform a suitable measure to counter the attack. But, despite the ferocity of this attack, this level of power was nothing more than a warm-up for Isshin. If he truly sought to get rid of Yoshitsune from his path, a different sort of battle was in order. Yet, perhaps...was there something holding him back? Something that desired for Yoshitsune...to be successful? Or did rage blind Isshin's cold rationality..? That was something that only Yoshitsune could see, and something only he could cut through. Isshin's initial movement triggered Yoshitsune's near chaotic personality. The spikes on his ponytail lifted as his aura continued to spread across the land and the gravity increased. Unlike Isshin who took on a respectable swordsman stance, Yoshitsune remained slumped and slouched over, yet if you looked closely one would notice there was not a single opening on the man. That was the kind of swordsman Yoshitsune was, he was one of the most unpredictable and unorthodox Samurai there was. His smile quickly became devious after Isshin launched his attack. Even the slightest movement from his former comrade's thrust commanded the wind against its will and caused it to become a technique of his own destruction. It was true if anyone knew what had truly unfolded, it would be Yoshitsune. "Body control." Yoshitsune thought to himself, literally the reciting the many times he trained Dexter, always bringing up the fact that body control was essential from a swordsman. In combination with breathing, these two concepts were the basis for many of the Ryutsume Dojo's techniques. Yoshitsune could have possibly dodged Isshin's attack, but he did not. He sensed the difference in his attack, Ichiro this time, had emotion attached. Blade over his shoulder still, Yoshitsune gripped the hilt of his sword and brought it over the front of his body in a crescent blade path. Like Isshin's own attack, for someone who lacked skill, it appeared as a normal slash. However, for those with trained eyes, they'd surely been able to see what Yoshitsune had achieved. In a swift motion, Yoshitsune rotated his wrist as he slashed gathering wind around his blade in a similar manner as Isshin. By spinning the wind around his blade, it allowed him to create a talon of pressurized wind to virtually cut through Isshin's attack. When the logistics were laid it, Isshin's body control would easily seem superior to Yoshitsune's own, though for one to achieve nearly the same feat in just the rotation of their wrist was no laughing manner. Intending for his counter to cut through Isshin's attack, Yoshitsune slightly underestimated it as once the two came into contact they exploded and unleashed a violent force of wind, shaking the nearby sea and lifting waves. Removing his pipe from his mouth, Yoshitsune placed in into his haori. "Damn right, Isshin!" He began, leaning his body forward and kicking against the ground dashing across the space between himself and Isshin. As he traveled he got closer to the ground while his face had been about two inches from smashing the ground, yet his speed continued to increase. "Amaterasu Style — Hiraishin!" Like Isshin's own technique, Hiraishin required a tremendous amount of body control, because without it a user would simply collide face first with the ground crushing the front of their skull in the process. Controlling your own body weight to avoiding falling to the ground completely was not as easy as it sounded and as such, Hiraishin could be considered one of the mid-tier techniques taught at the Dojo. The technique got part of its name in honor of the dojo's former top student, Buster D. Amaka's devil fruit model: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Amaterasu. The second part "Hiraishin" was born from the fact that the user will feel as they are flying as they can sense the sudden increase in their speed and ability to feel the wind as they move. With an under swing, Yoshitsune planned to cut Isshin from bottom to top, using his sudden burst of speed to catch Isshin off gaurd, but he was more than certain it would not be enough. It were as if he were almost trying to fail. In an ordinary situation, Isshin would have probably mocked Yoshitsune for relying on Hiraishin so consistently in their battles. It was a move that Isshin had seen perhaps over a hundred times in their dozens of battles in the past. But this time, Isshin could not devote that time and energy to lecturing his comrade. Instead, he focused it all on his sword. If Yoshitsune attempted to slash Isshin from the bottom-up, then Isshin's response was going to be simple. In the time that Yoshitsune had taken to move towards Isshin, the Blade Thief had retracted his left leg, and altered the orientation of his blade so that the tip of his blade pointed towards the sun, that had been shining bright at their right side. To someone witnessing Hiraishin for the first time, their timing would be thrown off by the sudden acceleration this skill possessed, especially considering the height the user was benched at. But for Isshin, it was the same as any accelerated dash. Yoshitsune would have to try harder in order to catch Isshin's true attention. As Yoshitsune slashed upwards, Isshin swung his sword downwards in a perfect arc, enhancing his strength, speed and momentum with the force of gravity. It was a clash that took only an instant, but the power behind both slashes were illuminated in that very moment. The dense snow that was packed around them was uplifted in its entirety, causing both combatants to momentarily stand in the air as their bodies fell almost two inches. Even with the unstable terrain, both combatants were unwavering. Isshin, as a matter of pride, refused to leave this clash of strength, and sought to crush Yoshitsune in the weight of his sword, demonstrating the Shinsengumi's foolishness in challenging him. --- "Yoshitsune-sama!!" A female voice shouted, running to the scene of the battle between Yoshitsune and Isshin. The voice belonged to a petite little girl, who much like other swordsmen, wore a sword on her hip as though it were a fashion statement. She dressed like as though she were a member of a Kingdom's Royal Army, because it had been partially true. Stopping in her tracks so that she didn't enter the zone that Yoshitsune and Isshin had designated as their initial battleground, the girl began to jump with joy. "Yoshitsune-sama, I'm here!" She shouted, attempting to get the man's attention, but it was to no avail. "Yoshitsune-saaaaama, it's me, Hinata Kurogane you number one fangirl! Oh, stupin Isshin is here!" She stuck her tongue out almost in an insulting manner. --- CLANG The noise of the two blades clashing against each forced the earth beneath the two to cave in, evident that the force from both parties would have been devastating blows had they landed on their intended targets. However, because Isshin had been blessed with the role of reacting to Yoshitsune's strike, this allowed him to apply a force strong enough to overwhelming Yoshitsune's strike. The Black Widow planned to overwhelm Yoshitsune and crush him all in a single strike. Right arm muscles tightening, Yoshitsune applied more strength to his strike buying him just a second before being crushed by Isshin's cleaver. In that same slight burst of strength, the black-haired swordsmen placed his left leg outward pivoting to the side, face sliding past Isshin's blade, barely dodging the man's strike losing a couple of strands of hair as he did. Again, Yoshitsune pivoted with his left foot though this time the results would be much different. His body became a hazing pitch black mist as had completely vanished from his previous position only to reappear with his back to Isshin's own. This was Senkō Sokka: Kagehōgō, a technique which allowed Yoshitsune to erase his presence for a single step--as the name suggests--and infiltrate his target's shadow to get as close to them as possible. Not done yet, Yoshitsune launched yet another strike but this one was a bit unique. Without making any full body movements, he swung his blade in a half circle strike, like a horizontal crescent, but he did so continuously spinning his blade as though it were a crank. Like the attack from Isshin, one would have easily missed what he had been getting at, but a skilled swordsman of Isshin's caliber would be able to simply sense it. Each time he "cranked" his blade, Yoshitsune gathered and compressed wind around it in the form of a tornado. From underneath his kimono sleeve, a kunai slipped and traveled right down his arm due to the wind that Yoshitsune had altered. As it traveled with force, it smashed against his blade creating a spark which instantly ignited into a flame. "Amaterasu Style — Engetsu!" He exclaiming, continuing with his strike in attempts to behead Isshin. Isshin was familiar with all of Yoshitsune's techniques. However, even with over a hundred battles under his belt, he could not completely grasp the fundamentals of Kagehōgo. He supposed that it just wasn't within him to erase his presence completely. However, the technique that Yoshitsune had prepared for was something that he could not completely evade at this distance. Then again, Isshin knew that in a battle against Yoshitsune, he would have to suffer a modicum of injury. He brought his blade in closer to his being and raised its hilt so that it would stand next to his neck. The moment that the fiery blade came swinging, it made contact with the elongated hilt of Hawatari, causing an explosion that engulfed both Yoshitsune and Isshin's body. For a brief instance, the two combatants were enveloped in a smokescreen, and nobody could view the results of the clash. But as the smoke disappeared from view, both combatants were shown with light burns on their body. No major injury occurred, but their blades were in fierce competition with each other. Yoshitsune pressed forward with all of his strength, and Isshin did so in turn, forcing them into a stalemate that neither could escape from. Instead of forcing himself forward, Isshin pushed against the blunt edge of his blade with his free hand, moving the blade upwards in an arc that threatened to slice through Yoshitsune's torso, all the while becoming free of the stalemate, enabling Isshin to gain some distance from Yoshitsune, with blade in hand. Even if Yoshitsune perfectly evaded the attack, both Isshin and his opponent returned to square one. However, Isshin began to feel a ping of guilt in his attacks. Just what was he doing? Fighting one of his closest friends? For what? Revenge that will never be granted? His grip on his sword was shaking, and while he was paying full attention to Yoshitsune, the Samurai before him could tell that Isshin was losing his edge. Category:Ash9876 Category:EmperorSigma Category:Role-Plays